Announcements
MAPP of the Southern Kenai Peninsula, the local collaborative for community health improvement, is conducting our second Community Health Needs Assessment from November 2012 – March 2013. The first part of the assessment includes a community perceptions survey that gives community members the opportunity to highlight our community’s strengths and needs. This survey is included in this week’s paper and will be open until Dec. 14. The results from this survey will help determine what is most important to the community and will help prioritize where to focus collaborative efforts for the next few years. Completed surveys can be submitted at City Hall, Homer Library and Ulmer’s. The survey also can be filled out online at www.mappofskp.net. For more information, please contact MAPP coordinator Megan Murphy at 235-0570.
Homer Council on the Arts is actively recruiting for new board members, as well as committee members for finance, programs and building and maintenance. Come join the team and support the arts in Homer.
Ninilchik gets into the holiday season with its Community Christmas Village at the fairgrounds from Nov. 23 through Jan. 1. Families, individuals, businesses and organizations are invited to pick a building or open space around the fairgrounds and decorate it for the holiday season. There are nine small buildings, the outside of Carol Bock Hall and lots of open space. A trophy will be awarded for the people’s choice for best decorations. The lights will be on every weekend from dusk until 10 p.m. Call or email to reserve a building or commit to decorate a portion of the fairgrounds, (907) 567-3760 or kpsfair@acsalaska.net.
The Kachemak Heritage Land Trust hosts its annual membership meeting, elections and special presentation today from 5-9 p.m. at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. From 5:30-6:30 p.m. is the annual member voting for KHLT Board of Directors, followed by the opportunity to find out what KHLT has been doing this past year while getting a chance to meet staff and board members in person. From 7-8:30 p.m. is a special presentation by Audubon Alaska and KHLT titled “Local Conservation, Global Impact: How Birds Tie Alaska to the World.”
The Homer High School Boys Basketball Parent meeting is 6 p.m. today at the high school library. “Meet the Mariners” community event, team introductions and scrimmages, and a bake sale fundraising auction is 6 p.m. Dec. 6 in the gymnasium. JV Boys Basketball first home game vs. Seldovia is 1 p.m. Dec. 8 in the gymnasium.
The Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information Center lights its Christmas Tree Friday from 5-7 p.m.
The Faith Lutheran Church is having its annual Scandinavian dinner, lutefisk, at 6 p.m. Friday. Dinner menu includes lutefisk, Swedish meatballs, pickled herring, Lefse, Scandinavian cookies and much more. Faith Lutheran Church is located at 1000 Soundview Ave. Call 235-7600 for tickets.
There will be a spaghetti feed and auction medical benefit Saturday from 1-4 p.m. at the Ninilchik Fairgrounds Carol Bock Hall for 16-month-old Ethan Wheeler, son of Will and Hannah Wheeler, who was recently diagnosed with a rare muscular cancer. Cost is a donation. Contact Katherine Covey at 398-1773 for more information or to donate.
Join the Kachemak Bay Birders on a trip to the Spit, led by Michael Craig, Saturday. Meet in the parking lot between Land’s End and the Ferry Dock at 1:30 p.m. or to car pool, meet at 1:15 p.m. at the parking lot on Kachemak Drive at the base of the Spit. Dress warm;binoculars and/or a scope are recommended. This trip is free to the public and everyone is welcome. For more information call 235-0631. This trip is cosponsored by the Kachemak Bay Birders and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
South Peninsula Hospital presents “A Long Term Christmas Carol” at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Long Term Care Facility at the hospital. The cast consists of Bob Letson, the hospital’s CEO, in the leading role, with Long Term Care residents and hospital staff. Both shows are free of charge. For more information, call 235-0233 or 235-0820.
The Homer Fish and Game Advisory Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the NERRS building on Kachemak Drive in order to prepare comments on the Southcentral Region Board of Game proposals, prepare comments on the Statewide Board of Fisheries (and supplemental) proposals, and other business that may duly come before the committee. For more information contact Marvin Peters at 235-8612.
The Office of Children’s Services is conducting a resource family orientation on Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. at the OCS office, 3670 Lake Street in Homer. This orientation is geared for individuals interested in becoming foster parents and resource families for children in the foster care system. There will be application packets and a licensing representative on hand to answer any questions you might have in order to simply inquire about or to begin the process of becoming a foster or resource family home. To learn more about how to make a difference in a child’s life and in your community, please join us. For more info, call Tonja Whitney at (907) 283-3136.
The Kachemak Bay Research Reserve Community Council holds its next regular meeting from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. For more information, call Amy Alderfer at 226-4650.
Kachemak Ski Club (Homer Rope Tow) holds its annual meeting at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 at Cook Inletkeeper. There will be a short business meeting, a reshowing of the ski and snowboard videos made by local kids, as well as a slide show. It’s a potluck and there will be free pizza and drinks. The event is open to all.
K-Bay Caffe’s first Friday opening with Adam Green’s art is Dec. 7 from 5-7 p.m. Starting Dec. 16 is Soup at Seven on Sundays, communal soup and bread at 7 p.m. every Sunday. 235-1551.
The Ninilchik Fairgrounds holds an Annual Craft Bazaar from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 8. Tables are available for rent at $20 each or two for $30. To register, visit www.kenaipeninsulafair.com or call (907) 567-3670.
The Mindfulness Meeting is a group for cultivating wisdom, gratitude and serenity through skills and practice that takes place weekly on Fridays at the Kachemak Bay Campus, Bayview Building, Room 104 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome; there is no charge. For more information, call Rachel or Sharon at 235-7712. This group is sponsored by South Peninsula Haven House.

Friendship Center
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations.

Homer Senior Citizens
Homer Senior Citizens Craft Fair is Dec. 8, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tables for vendors are available for $20. Call 235-7655 to reserve a table.
Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and their guests and is served 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday. The lunch menu for this week is: Thursday, roast beef; Friday, lemon dill baked halibut; Monday, spaghetti bolognaise; Tuesday, baked chicken with parmesan; Wednesday, seafood Creole.
Strong Women classes at Homer Senior Citizens Recreation Room are 2-3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Cost is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class.
Tai Chi classes are Thursday at 3 p.m. Cost is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class. For more information, call Daniel at 235-7655.

Kachemak Bay Campus
Student Art and Craft Show is noon to 4 p.m. Friday in the Campus Commons at Pioneer Hall. Open to the public.
Researchers and Kenai Peninsula College anthropology professors Dr. Alan Boraas and Dr. Catherine Knott present “Fish Family, Freedom and Sacred Water,” a talk on the cultural importance of salmon to the people of Bristol Bay, Friday, 6:30 p.m. at Pioneer Hall at the Kachemak Bay Campus. This event is free and open to the public.
Give the gift of learning. Gift certificates are available for classes.
Registration for winter/spring semester is now going on for degree-seeking students.
General public registration began Nov. 26 for winter classes and workshops. See Schedule for upcoming winter/spring classes at www.kpc.alaska.edu/kbc .

Pratt Museum
The Pratt Museum invites anyone interested in the museum to complete its online survey that will help guide the museum in the planning process. All respondents age 18 and over are eligible to participate in a $100 Amazon gift card sweepstakes while remaining anonymous for the survey (details provided at the end of the survey).
“History in the Making: Quilts, Quilters and Their Stories” is on display through Dec. 30. In conjunction with the exhibit, at 5 p.m. Friday the museum presents a special showing of quilts from the Pratt Museum’s collections. Visitors will have a chance to see several quilts not normally on exhibit. Following the collections showing, the museum shows “The Great American Quilt Revival,” narrated by Georgia Bonesteel, a film about how quilts came to be recognized as works of art.

R.E.C. Room
The R.E.C. Room presents “The Amazing Adolescent Brain Event” from 6-8 p.m. today at the R.E.C. Room. Led by P.H.A.T. (Promoting Health Among Teens), peer educators explain what’s going on in the teenage brain. Anyone working with teens or interested in a journey through the teen mind is invited to attend. Appetizers and drinks will be served.
The R.E.C. Room (Resource and Enrichment Co-op) is a multipurpose space for youth ages 12-18 as a safe environment to hang out with friends. Hours are 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday in the lower level of the Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic outreach building on Nielsen Circle. Visit www.recroom.kbfpc.org or call Anna at 235-OPEN (6736).